Tuesday, August 27, 2013

5 unusual craft books

“Glitter is the herpes of craft supplies.”
― Demetri Martin

My mum was awesomeness. She was an incredibly arty person (not so much these days because she's busier than she ever was with work). No matter where we lived or how old we were we always had craft supplies. My childhood memories are full of fantastical things made from rolls of butcher paper, crayons, felts, colouring pencils, glitter pens, sellotape, wool, PVA glue, dye, cotton wool, pipe cleaner, construction paper, buttons, googly eyes, paper plates, feathers, sequins, bits and pieces of materials (usually leftovers from things mum had sewn), toothpicks, popsicle sticks... We were encouraged to try everything and MAKE ALL OF THE THINGS. It was great fun, but I was realistic about it all because I suck badly at arts and crafts. Seriously, any kid who chops their fringe off in anger and believes that PVA glue will help them glue it back on is not playing with a complete Happy Meal. (What can I say? I was twelve, and I never claimed to be a genius). Maybe it's the thwarted artist in me who deliberately looks to recreate the childhood buzz of craftery (bad English is bad English) but I find myself fatally attracted to strange and unusual craft books. Like the ones listed below because why not, right? I mean, who could seriously walk past Star Trek and Star Wars crafts? Or marvel at the madness that is Regretsy? Or construct strangely interesting duct tape-y type things *shrugs* The weird is my kryptonite, and I revel in it all. And now you can, too...

1. The Star Trek craft book / Angie Pedersen
Featuring full-colour photographs and easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, this clever craft book puts a fresh spin on Captain Picard's order to "make it so." Now crafters of any skill level and Starfleet rank can create homemade Star Trek-inspired crafts.

2. The Star wars craft book / Bonnie Burton
For the Star Wars fan who has everything - except a Chewbacca sock puppet. Bith Band spoon puppets, Han in Soaponite, Mistle-Tie Fighter, At-At herb garden: with the Star Wars Craft Book, fans of all ages and skill levels can bring the best of the galaxy far, far away right into their own homes. Fully illustrated, with step-by-step instructions, this book has a wide range of fun and original projects.

3. Regretsy : where DIY meets WTF / April Winchell
A chicken poncho. A painting of a corn dog. A clock made out of an old "mostly clean" cheese grater. All this and more await you in the pages of Regretsy, a veritable sideshow of handcrafts gone wrong. Based on the eponymous hit blog and arranged in categories such as Décor, Pet Humiliation, and Christmas, Regretsy showcases the best of the worst, ranging from the hilariously absurd to the purely horrifying. Each page of this jaw-dropping volume features the actual seller's online listing with a light coat of snarky commentary to give it a good shellacking. So join us as we descend into handmade hell and gawk, gasp, and marvel at the disturbingly odd artifacts that Regretsy has collected for your viewing pleasure, proving that you can never have too much of a bad thing.